Expert Meeting TVET Teacher Training Programmes and Institutions in the Asia and Pacific Region 3 4 May 2018 Chennai, India Concept Note Background The international community has set an ambitious sustainable development agenda, with corresponding goals ( Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs ) for 2030. It includes SDG 4, which says, Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and SDG 8, which states, Achievement of inclusive and sustainable growth, full employment and decent work. Focusing on education and work allows more international attention to training and development of skills required for employment. Within this context, UNESCO adopted a new Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) (2016-2021). The goals are to help Member States increase the relevance of their TVET systems and equip all youth and adults with the skills required for decent employment, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning. Enhancing the quality of TVET and its relevance to the changing needs of the world of work was also one of the recommended actions listed in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, the outcome statement of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Education and Training held in Kuala Lumpur in 2015. The Declaration called on Member States in the Asia-Pacific region to transform and expand TVET and pay increased attention to strengthening the links between its outcomes and changing labour market needs, particularly through labour market studies. Quality, equity and inclusion are at the heart of SDG 4, as well as TVET, which is seen as a potential solution to the multiple challenges of development. The Asia-Pacific region is characterized by great diversity in terms of demographic trends, socio-economic progress and technological advancements. However, common challenges related to technological change and the adoption of new technologies confront all of the region s countries to various degrees. New technologies affect jobs and employment landscapes by reducing the need for people in many existing jobs while generating new job opportunities in emerging industries. These changes may widen existing income inequality, potentially leading to significant social and economic upheaval. To respond to changing skill needs, education and training providers must equip learners with skills that are responsive to labour market demands and transferable to different employment settings. However, a dearth of quality teachers and instructors is one of the most pressing issues in TVET, partly because of the stigma attached to TVET as a second-class option and TVET 1
teachers salaries remain below the average salaries of similarly educated professionals working in other educational sectors. This shortage must be addressed in order to improve the quality of TVET programmes. Quality TVET teachers and instructors are known to be among the most important aspects of the TVET provision. With this in mind, UNESCO Bangkok, with support from the government of Malaysia, is organizing an expert meeting on TVET Teacher Training Programmes and Institutions in Asia-Pacific, as part of an ongoing regional project, entitled Strengthening technical and vocational education and training for improved skill outcomes in the Asia-Pacific region. The project aims to provide an up-to-date analysis of existing TVET teacher and instructor training policies and programmes and assess current relevant regional trends and challenges. To achieve the goal of the project, country contexts and situations on TVET teacher training will be reviewed and analyzed 1. Major findings of the country cases 2,3 will be presented at the expert meeting and used to develop policy recommendations and a regional database. These outputs of the meeting are expected to help facilitate regional collaboration and partnership among the Asia- Pacific region s countries and institutions and broaden the scope of cooperation beyond. Meeting Objectives The expert meeting aims to: 1) introduce regional trends, issues, challenges and opportunities in TVET teacher training policies, programmes and institutions in Asia-Pacific; 2) share the major findings of country cases from selected Asia-Pacific countries; and 3) agree on policy recommendations that can support Member States in developing and/or improving TVET policies for pre-service teacher training. Expected Impact Contribute to poverty reduction, inclusive economic growth and decent work Expected Outcomes Member states understanding of the issue expanded and enhanced The planned policy recommendations will provide guidance to member states on how to develop or improve policies and programmes for TVET teachers 1 Member states who will conduct a study include Brunei, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand. 2 Suggested research methodologies are annexed at the end of the concept note. 3 The main research questions focus on the following areas: 1) background information; 2) teachers qualification, standards and competence profiles; 3) admission to teacher training institutions; 4) teacher pre-service training (structure and organization/contents/practicum assignments); and 5) TVET teacher policies. 2
Expected Outputs Priority areas for policy actions regarding TVET teachers identified A synthesis report, including country cases and policy recommendations, developed Expected Participants National researchers Member states Resource persons NITTTR Chennai Relevant UN agencies (International) non-governmental organizations/civil society organizations UNESCO Bangkok s TVET Team Date & Venue 3 4 May 2018 The NITTTR Chennai, India Methodology Through presentations, discussions and group work, the workshop participants will identify the most critical issues and agree on policy recommendations. Language English will be the working language of the meeting. Contact Mr. Eunsang Cho, Programme Specialist e.cho@unesco.org TVET and Skills Development Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development (EISD) UNESCO Bangkok Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building 920 Sukhumvit Rd., Bangkok 10110, Thailand Tel.: +66 23 91 05 77 (ext.398) 3
Annex. Research Methodology A country case study will employ a variety of methods of data collection and analysis, including but not limited to the following: Desk reviews of relevant literature, which will include academic writing; analytical, policy, and evaluation documents; and reports and publications by governmental and international agencies, and NGOs. The reviews will be a useful background for conducting field research. Interviews with different stakeholders, including relevant TVET teacher training institutions and colleagues, governmental bodies, ministries, universities, research centres and TVET institutes; and education partners in selected countries. Main Questions The main questions for each country representative (or policy maker) to answer before embarking on their own research are listed below: Background information Summary of TVET teacher institutions (history, # of staff, # of teachers, # of students ) Outcomes of TVET teacher institutions (# of graduates, employment rate, from 2010 to 2017) Summary of TVET teacher programmes (areas/programmes of study) Teachers qualification, standards and competence profiles What is the formal qualification required to become a TVET teacher? Are there professional standards for teachers in relation to their subject knowledge? Are there professional standards for teachers in relation to their didactical knowledge? Are there professional standards for teachers soft/transferable/transversal skills? Are there minimum requirements in relation to a teacher s personality traits, such as empathy, enthusiasm, creativity, dedication and discipline? Admission to teacher training institutions What are the admission criteria for pre-service training programmes? Are there policies or incentives in place to attract talented young people to join the teaching profession? Are incentives in place to attract teachers for critical shortage subjects? How well do these policies or incentives work? 4
Are these policies or incentives in line with minimum qualification and training requirements? Teacher pre-service training: Structure and organization How many years does initial training take? What are the minimum requirements that graduates of pre-service programmes must meet? Where are these requirements laid out? What is the percentage of teachers who do not meet the minimum academic qualifications as defined by the State, for each level and type of education? What are the different types of pre-service teacher education programmes in terms of level of training, duration, contents and organization? What formal qualifications do teacher education programmes confer? What are the qualifications of the staff working in teacher pre-service training? Are teachers made aware of their function as role models? Which institutions train teachers that teach subjects related to religion or ethics? Teacher pre-service training: Contents Approximately how many hours of initial training do future teachers undergo in subject matter? Approximately how many hours of initial training do future teachers undergo in didactics for their subject? How much weight is given to the development of teachers soft/transferable/transversal skills? What is teachers preparation in terms of developing students soft/transferable/transversal skills? How well do pre-service programmes develop teachers abilities to lead discussions or promote discussions among students? Does training include knowledge about child psychology and human growth? Do teachers learn how to engage learners as individuals and collectively? Are teachers trained in teaching students how to learn? Does training include teachers abilities to work with ICT? Are teachers trained in making decisions about how to integrate ICT meaningfully in educational processes? Are teachers trained to work with students from a wide variety of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds? 5
Does pre-service training include aspects related to teaching children with special educational needs? How effectively do these programmes help teachers to understand and address the needs of children with special needs? Which gender-related aspects does pre-service training include? What does pre-service training for teachers look like? Teacher pre-service training: Practicum assignments Do pre-service training programmes include practical experience, such as practicum assignments in schools? How many hours in total do students have practicum assignment inside/outside the training institution? Are there guidelines for practicum assignments? How is mentoring during those practicum assignments organized? In what form is the practicum assignment assessed? Is there a feedback mechanism between the mentoring system and the pre-service training system? TVET teacher policies Is there a regulatory framework (law, programme, strategy) on the status of TVET teachers in society? If yes, what are its main provisions? Which authorities are involved in the design and implementation of TVET teacher policies? To what extent do TVET teacher policies take into account research and international experience? Are the rights and responsibilities of each authority clearly defined? Are there conflicts of interest? Are there aspects of TVET teacher policies for which no authority is responsible? What co-ordination arrangements exist at the local, regional and national level among the various education authorities in terms of their regional responsibilities? Is there a separate TVET teacher policy or is it part of the overall education policy? If TVET teacher policy is part of the overall education policy, how much weight is given to the former? Is TVET teacher policy coherent and consistent with other national policies, including children s rights and related human rights policies? What evidence exists that can demonstrate TVET teaching policy is comprehensive in that it includes a broad range of teaching elements - initial teacher education, balanced 6
deployment, continual professional development and support, remuneration and incentives and a safe, stimulating and healthy work environment? These are examples of questions that national researchers need to answer. Some questions should be answered in-depth. Some may be expounded upon, depending on the issues, policy agendas and historical context of each Member State. 7